Greater Seattle to Dublin: One step closer to strengthening ties

Greater Seattle to Dublin: One step closer to strengthening ties

Good news for Greater Seattle area travelers, Aer Lingus will begin a nonstop service between Dublin and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at the beginning of May 2018. Aer Lingus will provide services on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and will also offer a pre-cleared trans-Atlantic flight for the first time. When passengers depart from Dublin, their luggage will be cleared at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility before departure. When passengers arrive at Sea-Tac Airport, they will not have to go through customs.

Dublin is a popular European destination and well known for its booming tech industry. Many Washington State based companies make significant investments in Dublin, which will benefit from this new service. Additionally, more than 800,000 Washington state citizens identify Irish as their primary ancestry. Seattle has also held a sister city relationship with the city of Galway since 1986. Earlier this month, Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkhar, visited the Emerald City during his first official visit to the U.S.

With historic ties and strong business relations, Greater Seattle area travelers and businesses will benefit from the non-stop service to Dublin. Ireland was ranked in the top 12 of Washington State export customers in 2016 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Top exports include transportation equipment, chemicals, manufactured commodities, and machinery.

One of the fastest growing airports in the country, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport added 4 new international carriers in 2017 in addition to Aer Lingus